White man gets 5 years in prison for attack on Black teen at Michigan park

DETROIT — A white man has been sentenced to 5 years in jail for attacking a Black teenager with a motorbike lock due to his race at a southeastern Michigan park.

A decide in U.S. District Court docket in Detroit on Thursday additionally ordered Lee Mouat, 43, of Newport, to serve three years of supervised launch. He pleaded guilty in March to a federal hate crime within the June 6, 2020, assault on 18-year-old Devin Freelon Jr.

Authorities have mentioned Mouat confronted a gaggle of Black teenagers at Sterling State Park seashore in Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township, about 39 miles southwest of Detroit.

He made a remark in regards to the group’s “ghetto” music, yelled “Black lives do not matter,” referred to as the teenagers the N-word and mentioned Black individuals didn’t belong on the park, in response to a plea settlement.

He then walked to his automobile and retrieved a “metallic chain-style bike lock” and walked again towards the group.

“Mouat then swung and struck D.F. within the face with the bike lock, knocking out three of D.F.’s tooth, lacerating D.F.’s face and mouth, and fracturing his jaw,” the plea settlement states. “Mouat additionally swung the bike lock at a second Black teenager, T.G., however missed. Mouat continued to wield the bike lock and stroll towards T.G. whereas saying, ‘Come right here, n—–.'”

The courtroom doc says Mouat attacked the teenagers “due to D.F.’s and T.G.’s race.”

Freelon misplaced a number of tooth and suffered a fractured jaw in addition to cuts to his face and mouth.

“The cowardly and unprovoked assault on this younger sufferer is very disturbing,” Performing U.S. Legal professional Saima Mohsin mentioned in an announcement. “Each particular person citizen has the fitting to not dwell in worry of violence or assault based mostly on the colour of their pores and skin.”

Mouat had confronted as much as 10 years in jail.